U.S. Moguls Team Ready for World Cup Season

By Lara Carlton

December, 6 2018

The women of the U.S. Moguls Team on site in Ruka, Finland (Jaelin Kauf - U.S. Ski & Snowboard)

After a very productive pre-season prep period, the moguls skiers of the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team begin their FIS World Cup season in Ruka, Finland, with men and women’s qualifications and finals on Friday, Dec. 7.

“I am so excited to kick the season off and finally get back in the gate, feels like it’s been forever,” said Jaelin Kauf (Alta, Wyo.) after training on the opening World Cup course. “I love the big bottom air and the speed you can carry in this course!”

With an uncharacteristically slow start to the snow year in the Arctic Circle, Ruka has been making snow round-the-clock to produce a quality course. The U.S. Moguls Team has been on-site training since November 20, and after six days of flatwork was “chomping at the bit to get on the full-length course,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Head Moguls Coach Matt Gnoza. “Once on the course the team quickly got up to speed skiing top to bottom runs. The staff felt good about how the team looked on the full course and everyone was skiing at a high-intensity level as they prepared for this week’s first World Cup event.”

The course at Ruka, with a fast mid-section and huge bottom air (the second of two jumps in the course where athletes perform aerial maneuvers), is sure to keep athletes on their toes and provide for an exhilarating competition.

“Athletes need to push their speed but also maintain position and control so they can hit a quality bottom air,” explains Gnoza. “The Ruka bottom air is a showtime jump. Athletes can take the jump as big as they want, it gives them plenty of air to perform even the most difficult tricks. With the location of the judges stand here in Ruka being equal eye level to the bottom air, an athlete that goes big really makes an impression on the judges.”

The U.S. has 13 athletes competing for the first podiums of the 2018-19 season and the team is looking strong. Kauf leads the charge for the women as the current fastest female moguls skier in the world. Tess Johnson (Vail, Colo.) is skiing strong technical runs that are sure to impress the judges, and Olivia Giaccio (Redding, Conn.) is taking huge jumps. On the men’s side, Bradley Wilson (Butte, Mont.) has been fast and aggressive in training and Casey Andringa (Boulder, Colo.) has been dominating the middle section of the course and stomping out the landing on both of his jumps. Rookies Hunter Bailey (Vail, Colo.) and Jesse Andringa (Boulder, Colo.) are both skiing confidently and will be looking to make a statement in their first international World Cup starts.

Ruka Preview

Casey Andringa

After winning both selection events at the beginning of the 2017-18 season, Casey Andringa burst on to the World Cup scene, landing two top-10 finishes and securing his spot on the 2018 Olympic team. At the Olympics, Andringa finished fifth, the best finish for a U.S. man since 2010.

Jesse Andringa

Younger brother of 2018 Olympian Casey Andringa, Jesse Andringa is one of the new moguls team members for the 2019 season. He netted three NorAm podiums and an impressive second place finish at Nationals in 2018 to land a spot on the team.

Jack Kariotis

Jack Kariotis has been competing on the NorAm scene since 2012. He had a breakthrough season in 2017, walking away from the FIS Junior World Championships with a gold medal in moguls and a bronze in duals, earning himself a spot on the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team.

Hunter Bailey

Hunter Bailey got his start in mogul skiing at age 13. After securing his spot on the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team in 2016 with a gold medal at the FIS Junior World Ski Championships, Bailey went on to ski solidly on the NorAm tour and claim both the mogul and dual moguls national titles in 2017.

Emerson Smith

After an impressive showing at U.S. Selection in December 2015, Emerson Smith racked up three NorAm wins in 2016, capping off that season with a silver medal at the FIS Junior World Ski Championships in Are, Sweden.

Olivia Giaccio

Olivia Giaccio is one of the young, talented skiers leading the charge for women's moguls. She landed her first career World Cup podium in 2017 and has consistently finished in the top 10 on the World Cup circuit.

Jaelin Kauf

Jaelin Kauf had a break out year on the World Cup tour in 2016, landing her first career podium and taking home the Rookie of the Year title. She finished the 2017 season with a bronze medal in Dual Moguls at World Championships.

Tess Johnson

Tess Johnson, who was the youngest moguls athlete to be named to the national team at 14 years old during the 2016 season, has made a name for herself on the freestyle moguls scene. Johnson made her first Olympic appearance and landed her first World Cup victory in 2018.

Nessa Dziemian

After a few years stacking up impresive finishes on the NorAm circuit, New Hampshire native Nessa Dziemian has a break out year in 2015, capturing the NorAm title and two podiums at U.S. Nationals, including the dual moguls title.

Dylan Walczyk

After four years in John Kroetz’s Bristol Mountain Freestyle program in New York, Dylan Walczyk’s family packed up and moved to Summit County, Colorado so he could pursue his skiing career. Walczyk gained his spot on the U.S. Ski Team in 2012 as the NorAm Champion.

Bradley Wilson

Running bumps is in the family blood, and Brad Wilson couldn’t be happier to be a part of the clan. The younger brother of Olympic bronze medalist Bryon Wilson, Brad and his brother got their start building their own moguls courses in their hometown of Butte, Montana.